One Step Closer... - Saturday, September 17 2005

one step closer to what you might ask? to being a turtle. that's right, a real live turtle. no, i didn't dye myself green, or learn ninjitsu overnight...i didn't even go out n buy a red mask/headband. but i got myself the one thing that ANY turtle (regardless of them being teenage, mutant OR ninja) must have: a shell. this was long overdue, but better late than never right? schweet...

after taking a prolonged break while training for the tri, it was good to get back to business and get in another 2-3 hour session. it's finally starting to look like one single complete work of art now, and not just 2 or 3 separate pieces. very happy w/ what's going on so far, i can see all the ideas both old and new working together nicely, just hope we don't run out of space if i suddenly think of other elements...but no everything that i wanted to be there is pretty much there. the only other thing that i might want to include is some representation/symbols using the taiko drum:


i'm imagining 3 separate locations, much smaller scale, but i gotta do a bit more research on that though before i decide, as well as figure out where the heck to fit them! =P

after the day's business was done, it was time to log some more time @ ghettofabulous studios for the evening where we laid down the framework for a few songs, powered by some Subway and "limeade".

finally, made a brief trip down to Hapa to chill w/ JB, willy wonka & Maverick before deciding to call it a night, and head home to scrub my new shell.

the end.

mission accomplished

still waiting for official time-chip results & more event photos to be posted, and i think i'm gonna wanna write a fairly lengthy description (from what i can remember) of my first tri. for now, here's a view of the transition (for switching from swim-to-bike & bike-to-run) area:

next stop...Buntzen Lake - Tuesday, September 6 2005

depletion done. ok, so maybe not done very well (couldn't continue exercising to maximize glycogen-depletion b/c i was sick, plus being away @ camp the food wasn't exactly low-carb)...but now it's time to carbo-load!

for those that don't know, carbo-loading's something that endurance athletes do to try n maximize their performance on race-day. basically the way it works is that about 7 days before the race, u start lowering your carb intake (to deplete your body's carbohydrate/glycogen stores), as well as continue moderate exercise which will further deplete your body's fuel tank. the idea behind continuing to exercise while decreasing your energy supply is that your body will start to store more glycogen (some sort of carb) than it normally would to compensate for the lowered amounts that you're feeding it.

then, the final 3 days before your race you're supposed to do little to no exercise, and load up on your carbs. unfortunately, this doesn't mean eating pizza, fettucini alfredo, n a lot more of what i thought was good stuff. pasta is good, but they say no creamy stuff (damn!); more like dry pasta w/ a tiny bit of tomato sauce n a bit of parmesan =(. *sigh* "compact" carbohydrates are good too, b/c they won't take up so much intestinal space (i.e. jams, juices, sports drinks). and, now that you're body's been "tricked" into storing more glycogen than normal b/c of the depletion stage, you'll be able to "overload" your fuel tank so your glycogen levels can be optimal for race day.

i just raided Superstore for supplies tonight after going for a final swim @ Bonsor, think i'll put up a list of what i'll be munching on after the whole thing's over for interest's sake.

so neway yeah...going on a "diet" was hard, but i think this portion of the process (the pigging-out portion) should be almost completely natural to me. only thing that may bring tears to my eyes is that i gotta lower my intake of meats, fatty stuffs, n all the other delicious things that make life worth living. =(...but no matter.

ok, so that's it; 3 days to go. if you can crawl out of bed on saturday morning, come !watch! my first (and possibly my final) tri. =P weather will hold up hopefully, and it's an awesome venue. some helpful links:

Race Day Schedule
(i'll hopefully be there before 0800, the half-tri race starts @ 0930. the event expo w/ booths, food n exhibitors opens @ 0800 so u prbbly could show up anytime after that.)

Driving Directions



see you @ the finish line!

(i hope...=P)